Dark Anatomy

The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but England s remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squire s wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed.

Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumour and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials and denunciations from the squire himself. A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex.

“This is rollicking stuff. Cragg and Fidelis are an engaging duo. - Financial TimesAn impressive whodunnit - Publishers WeeklyFascinating Cragg and Fidelis make a terrific detecting duo Blake s knowledge of an eighteenth century backwater just shaking off medieval superstitions is deep and engaging. - Booklist (starred review)”

This is rollicking stuff. Cragg and Fidelis are an engaging duo. - Financial Times

An impressive whodunnit - Publishers Weekly

Fascinating Cragg and Fidelis make a terrific detecting duo Blake s knowledge of an eighteenth century backwater just shaking off medieval superstitions is deep and engaging. - Booklist (starred review)

Robin Blake is a novelist, art critic and acclaimed biographer of Anthony Van Dyck and George Stubbs. Born and brought up in Preston, he has lived for many years in London.

In 1740s England the roots of evil run deep . . . George II is on the throne, but England's more remote provinces remain a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squire's wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed. Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumour and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials and denunciations from the squire himself. A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex. Praise for the Cragg and Fidelis series 'An impressive whodunnit.' Publishers Weekly 'Fascinating . . . Cragg and Fidelis make a terrific detecting duo . . . Blake's knowledge of an eighteenth-century backwater just shaking off medieval superstitions is deep and engaging.' Booklist (starred review)

The year is 1740. George II is on the throne, but England s remoter provinces remain largely a law unto themselves. In Lancashire a grim discovery has been made: a squire s wife, Dolores Brockletower, lies in the woods above her home at Garlick Hall, her throat brutally slashed.Called to the scene, Coroner Titus Cragg finds the Brockletower household awash with rumour and suspicion. He enlists the help of his astute young friend, doctor Luke Fidelis, to throw light on the case. But this is a world in which forensic science is in its infancy, and policing hardly exists. Embarking on their first gripping investigation, Cragg and Fidelis are faced with the superstition of witnesses, obstruction by local officials and denunciations from the squire himself. A Dark Anatomy marks the arrival of a remarkable new voice in mystery and a pair of detectives both cunning and complex.

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